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Fraxel Repair or Lift for the Whole Face and Neck?
asked 2 years ago by grace2829 in NJ
Latest answer by Rian Maercks, MD
Question viewed 2,039 times
Tags: age 55-64, eyebrows, face, mouth, neck, wrinkles, female, lift, sun damage
I had an endoscopic brow lift in 2004. It still looks great. However, my mouth wrinkles are bad and neck needs a little help! I have some sun damage all over. I'm confused about going with Fraxel Repair for the whole face and neck or some type of lift. Please help. I am 56 years old.
18 answers to Fraxel Repair or Lift for the Whole Face and Neck?
+2
Fraxel resurfacing vs facelift or necklift
Fractional resurfacing will give a modest improvement in sun damage and fine wrinkles. The effects of Fraxel tend to fade greatly after 6 months when all the swelling abates.
It is not, in my opinion a substitute for CO2 laser resurfacing performed conservatively plus a facelift and necklift.
+1
Fraxel Repair vs Erbium results + neck lift
Because of the nature of old CO2 laser technology Fraxel cannot deliver significant results without basically becoming an expensive nonfractional CO2 treatment with prolonged redness and swelling because of extensive thermal and coagulative damage. This is why I use only an Erbium beam which allows focused and controlled treatment of the skin through exact microchannels preserving 90% of the skin to help quickly regenerate and lay down collagen. As far as your neck you will want...
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+1
Fraxel vs face/neck lift
Fraxel is an excellent technique to get rid of sun damaged skin. It can be done on the face and the neck to eliminate freckles and fine lines. It s not used to tighten skin.
A comprehensive face/neck lift is done to remove fat in the neck both above and below the platysma muscle as well as tightening the platysmal muscle in the front and the back portion of the neck. Additionally, excess skin is addressed; the neck, jowls, facial muscles, and fascia are tightened.
The Fraxel laser is...
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+1
Botox or surgery for your muscle bands
Hello Grace,
Looking at your picture you have a platysmal muscle band, more evident on the right than the left.
If that is your main concern then the best option is surgery (platysmaplasty, necklift) or specific injections of Botox.
Fraxel is excellent for addressing issues with skin quality but will not have any impact on deeper muscle issues or excess skin.
Thank you.
Kamran Jafri, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
Fraxel Repair vs Facelift
Fraxel repair is appropriate for improving skin quality. However, a facelift is indicated to treat the neck bands, contour abnormalities, and jowls. If you can do only one procedure at this time, decide what bothers you the most. The ideal would be both surgeries at different times.
+1
Fraxel will not give much improvement on your neck
Based on your neck photo, Fraxel will not give you much improvement. I would recommend a facelift/necklift. You could consider Fraxel after the surgical procedure, as it would help with lines and skin texture and sun damage.
Carmen Kavali, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1
Neck and facelift are completely different from Fraxel Repair
Grace:
As you can see from many other responses, physicians can readily recommend surgical lifts for support of deep structures. In the photo of your neck, the platysma muscle bands are prominent and would not respond to non-surgical treatments. If you had jowl pouches, they would only improve with internal (SMAS facelift) support.
On the other hand, if skin texture is your issue, surface laser treatments are the answer. Your all-over sun damage would best be treated with laser...
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Sutton Graham II, MD
Greenville Plastic Surgeon
Greenville Plastic Surgeon
+1
Neck sagging Fraxel vs. surgical lift
Your photograph reveals banding of the neck muscle, the platysma, and some irregular fatty deposits and horizontal skin creases. Fraxel RE:store and even the more aggressive Fraxel Re:pair would not give you enough improvement, unless the latter were done with liposuction of the neck and Botox injections of the muscle bands, which would have to be repeated every 5 months or so. You would probably get a much better and longer-lasting result with a neck lift.
+1
Fraxel vs Lift
If gravitational aging in your face (deep nasolabial folds, jowls, saggy neck skin) is your main complaint then you would be better off with a face/neck lift. However, your complaint of sun damaged skin and wrinkles around your mouth suggest that you might be just as happy with a laser treatment such as the Fraxel Repair.
Looking at your picture I would suggest a full face and neck Fraxel Repair treatment which would address both the wrinkles around your mouth as well as the sun damaged...
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John Burns, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon
Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+1
Fraxel laser or face lift and neck lift
Although you appear to have some laxity of your skin in the jowls and neck which can be addressed with the use of a fractional CO2 laser, the issues that seem most prominent are the platysmal bands in your neck and the excess skin in your neck. I think you would obtain only slight tightening of the skin and no real improvement in the banding in your neck or much elevation of your jowl skin. If your mouth is a major concern, then the Fraxel laser works best.
Philip S. Schoenfeld, MD
Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgeon
Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
Too much skin, get facelfit and if too many wrinkles, get CO2 laser
The question is which of your problems bothers you the most. Saggy neck skin and cords = face/neck lift. If you lines around the mouth are the most important, you will get a better result with a CO2 laser, but longer recovery than Fraxel.
+1
Fraxel after a Facelift will be beneficial
Based on the photograph I see, my feeling is that Fraxel will provide little benefit as a primary treatment. The reason for this is that the primary problems aesthetically are platysma muscle and cervical skin laxity (I cannot see the jawline). There is no laser in the world that will address the muscle laxity (platysmal bands). However, there is definitely a role for fractionated skin resurfacing after a Facelift which will augment the skin tightening effect.
+1
Fraxel treatments are no substitute for surgical neck rejuvenation.
If your sagging neck skin is your main concern, then you should consider surgical intervention. When your neck skin becomes loose, you may also have jowling and sagging cheek skin as well. I prefer a MACS-Lift, short scar facelift to rejuvenate the entire midface, lower face and neck,
If your mouth wrinkles are your main concern, then I would suggest Injectable Filler treatments. This will restore lost volume, and provide a refreshed appearance with no downtime, and at a fraction of the cost...
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+1
A combination of Fraxel and lift would work best for you
Grace,
While the lines around your mouth and facial sun damage that you describe should be well treated with the Fraxel laser, there is too much loose skin of your neck for the laser to be effective. For the neck area you would have the best results with a necklift. A necklift is like the lower half of a facelift and works from the jawline down. It is less invasive and has an easier recovery than a full facelift. And it can be combined at the same time as the Fraxel.
Robert B. Pollack, MD
La Jolla Plastic Surgeon
La Jolla Plastic Surgeon
+1
Determine your goals for considering Fraxel Repair or lift
An important question here is what are you trying to achieve?
The photo of your neck shows not only lax skin but muscle bands and fatty deposits. Laser can improve texture and tone but will not address the deep structural issues. You did not include your face in the photo but again the laser can improve skin texture and tone but will not reposition deep tissue. Surgery will be required for this.
By the same token, a facelift will not improve the sun damaged skin left behind or the lines...
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+1
I think you would do great with a neck lift.
Hi!
Fraxel is not going to help you. You have muscle bands in your neck that can only be corrected with a neck lift. You may also benefit by a short scar facelift.
+1
Fraxel repair versus Face/Neck Lift
HI Grace,
Your decision should be based upon what really bothers you most, and whether you are ready to undergo another surgical procedure. Surgical neck and facelift will tighten you loose neck and redundant jowl-facial skin best, but involves surgery. This procedure will not address your mouth wrinkles and overall sun damaged skin. You can have some sort of laser or chemical peel in conjunction with surgery.
Fraxel repair will treat your mouth wrinkles and sun damaged skin, improving...
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+1
You may need surgical procedure
Just by looking at your picture it seems as though you need a surgical procedure. If your goal is for better skin quality regarding sun spots and fine wrinkles then laser can help. If your goal is skin tightening because of laxity or "looseness" then surgery is the answer. Non-invasive treatments such as lasers and thermage have little to no skin tightening value. They do not "lift" skin. Surgery lifts skin. I would recommend going in for a consultation with a...
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